Window mounted air-conditioning



A. H. EBERHART WINDOW MOUNTED AIR CONDITIONING UNIT Aug. 15, 1950 v Filed May 1, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 F'IGJ.

[NVENTOR ARTHUR H.EBERHART.

WITNESSES mm ATTORNEY Aug. 15, 1950 A. H. EBERHART wmnow uounmn AIR comarrroumc UNIT "iled May 1, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 I A I IH l l l ll l I I I Lr l I WITINESSES: 6.1a. :L: 7'777/MM.

A ORNEY Aug. 15, 1950 EBERHART 2,519,086.

WINDOW MOUNTED AIR CONDITIONING UNIT 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed May 1, 1946 w. mooooooooooom INVENTOR AR'FHUR J'LEBERHART.

ATTORNEY WINDOW MOUNTED IR CONDITIONING UNIT Filed May 1, 1946 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR JL r N ARTHUR H.EBERHART BY TTORNEY Patented Aug. 15, 1950 NT OFFICE WINDOW MOUNTED Agni-CONDITIONING Arthur H. Eberhart, Springfield, Mass ,assignor to Westinghouse Electric Corporation, East Pittsburgh, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 1, i948, Serial No. 666,381 (CI. 98-98) 7 Claims. 1

vThis invention relates to an air conditioning unit adapted to be mounted in the window opening of aroom, the air of which is to be conditioned. I

More specifically, the invention relates to an air conditioning unit especially adapted to be mounted in the upper and less useful portion of the window opening, whereby the lower and more useful portion of the window opening remains unobstructed.

It has heretofore been proposed to mount anv air conditioning unit in the upper portion of a window opening, as shown, for example, in the Kramer Patent No. 1,706,852. In this construction, however, the window sashes cannot be moved far enough to completely close the window opening without disconnecting and removing the unit.

It is, therefore, one object of the invention to produce improved mounting means for mounting the air conditioning unit in the upper portion of a window openin whereby the window opening may be completely closed without the necessity of removing or disconnecting the unit, or any material part thereof from the window.

Furthermore, the arrangement of the operative parts of the Kramer structure and the manner in which it is mounted are such that the unit extends horizontally along its entire length into the room, thus detracting from the appearance of he room.

My improved air conditioning unit is so con-. structed that, when it is mounted in the upper portion ofthe window. openingby the mounting means of my invention, it extends'partly horizontally into the room and partly upwardly toward the ceiling of the room and adjacent the 'wall of the room above the window opening so as to minimize the protrusion of the unit horizontally into the room and thus improve the appearance of the installation.

Because, in the prior art construction referred to, the unit extends horizontally into the room along its entire length, heavy operating parts, such as the compressor, the evaporator and the condenser are disposed relatively remote from the window structure to which the unit is secured. This increases the turning moment of the unit and necessitates the use of bulky. fastening means to support the-unit, and may necessitate 2 the. use of means for reinforcing the window structure itself to enable it to withstand the resulting strain.

It is, therefore, a still further object of the invention to produce an improved air conditioning unit, the component parts of which are so arranged as to bring the center of gravity of the heavy operating parts relatively close to the window structure, thus reducing the turning moment of the unit and permitting theuse of smaller and less conspicuous fastening and mounting means.

A still further object is to produce improved mounting means, whereby the turning moment of the. unit is more widely distributed andnmore eifectively resisted, thus permitting the use of relatively light parts and reducing the strain exerted on the frame of the window in which the unit is mounted.

A still further object of the invention is to produce improved mounting means whereby the air conditioning unit may be'easily mounted with minimum effort and with minimum damage to, or marring of, the window structure.

A still. further object of the invention is to produce improved means for eiiectively weatherproofing the portion of the window opening in which the window mounted, said weatherproofing means being so constructed that it may be'applied or removed independently of the unit and the mounting means.

These and other objects are effected by my invention as will be apparent from the following description and claims taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a, part of this application, in which: i

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a room showing an air conditioning unit mounted in the upper portion of a window opening;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged diagrammatic view partly in section and partly in elevation of the upper portion of a window opening with the air conditioning unit mounted therein, this view being taken in the direction of the line 11-11 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 3 is a section on line III-III of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4' is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of Fig. 3 showing details of construction;

Fig. 5 is a view partly in section and partly in top plan view, certain parts being omitted;

' of outside air and room air,

connected to the Fig. 6 is an enlargement of a portion of Fig. showing details of structure;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view showing details of the mounting means construction; and T Fig. 8 is a diagram of forces involved.

Throughout this description, the terms rear and front are used with reference to an observeriwithin the room, the term rear being used to designate the side of the unit which faces the exterior of the room, and the term front being used to designatethe side of the unit which faces the interior of ther'oom.

In Fig. l of the drawings there is shown a portion of a room, one wall of which is provided with a window opening defined by a bottom sill Ill, a top sill l2 and side jambs' M. The window opening is adapted to'be closed by means of inner and outer conventional sashes l5 and I8, respectively, which are slidable .in the usualsash grooves 20.

According to my invention, the air conditioning unit is generally L-shaped, with the horizontowardthe ceiling of the ro om, 'as best shown in Figs. 1 and 3'. By this construction of the unit,

and by" this arrangement'of the unit relative to the window opening, the unit is rendered inconspicuous and the obstruction of the window opening and of the space adjacent thewindow isreduc'ed. These advantages, and-the particularly. attractive appearance produced can be appreciate'd from an inspection of Fig. 1.

The air conditioning unit includes a compressor shown, the cups 56- are held in position by plates cover 44, the back side o which is completely open, and the front face of which is provided with the outlet 36, which may have a grille therein, and through which the air conditioned by the evaporator is discharged into the room. A screen 58 extends across'the open end of the lower horizontal portion of the unit casing to keep insects and dirt out of the unit.

The unit mounting means embodying my invention includes a pair of stanchions or posts 52, preferably formed of pipe sections cut to fit the height of the window opening and having upper flattened portions 54 which correspond to the height of the unit. The stanchions 52 are positioned along the opposite side jambs of the window and are fastened to the bottom sill by 'means of cups 56which are adapted to rest on the window sill. The cups- 56 are rigidly secured to the bottom window sill so as to resist turing moment exerted at thelower ends of the stanchions. As

58 secured thereto and having pendant flanges 59 which are "secured to the rear Wall of the bottom window sill by screws 60. The cups 58 prefer- 22 for compressing and liquefying the refrigerant,

a condenser 24 connectedto the compressor for receiving and cooling the liquefied refrigerant.

ably, but not necessarily, detachably engage the lower ends of the stanchions.

By being positioned along the side janibs of the window, the stanchions 52 are rendered incom spicuous so as not to detract from the appearance of the room. I

Thefiattened portions 5! of the stanchions are provided with rigidly secured, oppositely aligned upper and low'er'cups' 62 and 64 for detachably,

engaging the opposite ends of upper and lower cross members 66 and 68, respectively. The cross members 66 and 68 coact with the stanchions 52 to support and position the unit relative to the upper portion of the window opening.

' As shown, theupper cross memberliihas two or'more bolts lil'passing' therethrough with the inner ends of the bolts ngagingbrackets 12 seand evaporator 26 connected to the condenser by any suitable expansion means for evaporating the refrigerant and extracting heat from the air to be cooled. 4 motor 28 operates a blower 30 for moving air to the condenser and a blower 32 for moving the air to be cooled into contact 'with the evaporator. The evaporator blower 32 is adapted to draw outside air through a portion of the window opening, o room air through an opening 34 formed in the rear wall of the unit casln'g above'thewindow, or a'mixture The air conditioned by the evaporator is discharged into the room through an outlet 36 formed in the front wall of the unit casing;

The condenser fan is adapted to draw outside air through a portion of the window opening, or it can draw room air through an opening 38, also' trolling the admission of outside air into the ,unit

cured to and forming'part' of the u nit casing. The inner ends of the bolts also engage angle members" which extend from the bolts in opposite directions towards the side jambs ofthe window and are provided with tongues!! adapted to engage openings 16 formed in tabs or extensions- 11 carried by the vertical sides of the cover 44. To apply the cover to the unit and to retain it in position,'the cover is merely slipped over the unit and moved toward'the window until the tongues 15 fit into the openings I8. To remove the cover the tongues are pushed outof the Openings and by the evaporator blower. 3.2.. The. dampers re-t ferred to may be operatedby any suitable means,- such'as cords 39 engaging pulleys 40 operatively dampers.

shafts or rods carrying the the cover is then withdrawn in the direction of the'room. v v I In order to resist the turning moment of the unit exerted at the upper ends of the stanchions in clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 8, 1pmvide an elongated bracket 18 having a lower, wall I8 which is engaged by the outer ends of the bolts 18. The bracket 18 also has anupper ofiset wallv 88 which abuts against the back wall of the decorative inner window sill strip 8|. The bracket 18 is secured to the upper window sill I 2 by screws 82 which pass through the horizontal top wall, 83

of the bracketand engage the upper window sill I2, as best shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 7.

In order to resist the turning moment exerted by the unit at the crossmember 58 and to assist in proper positioning thereof relative to the winthe'desired'a'ngul'ar relation to'the vertical plane V of the'window opening, the bottom of the unit casing 'isprovided with an angle member 84 and is; one or more adjusting screws 85 which threadedly I engage the pendant wall of the angle member an and the outer ends of which are adapted to abut against the lower cross member 68, as best shown in Fig. 4. Thus, upon mounting the unit in position, the adjusting screws '85 can be turned in the appropriate direction to move the lower end of the unit towards or away from the lower cross member 68, until the unit is at the desired angular position.

The lower cross member 68 also carries "apair of clips86, one at each end thereof, for supporting a conventional, .roller type window shade which can be used to occlude the window openingin the usual manner. x

. 1 Assembly I When it is desired to mount an air conditioning unit'oi the type described in a window open in'g, the stanchions 52 and the cross members 56 and 68 are cut to the height and width or the win dow, respectively. The cross members 'are' then" inserted in the upper and lower cups arena 64' and the stanchions are positioned along the opposite side jambs of'the window'and secured to the bottom sill thereof by the screws ML The bolts are then inserted through the 'lowenwall 19 of the bracket 18 and are passed through the upper cross member 66. In this'positionthe wall 80 of the bracket -18 engages'the rear wall'of the upper sill strip 8| and the upper wall83 of'the bracket is'secured to the 'upperf'sill I; by the screws-82;

-The-unit is then lifted and presented to the upper portion of the window opening so as to cause the threaded ended the bolts 10 tocnga'g'e the brackets 12. Nuts are threaded onto the bolts 10 to hold the brackets 12, the member 66 and the wall 19 together. The brackets." are then mounted on the threaded ends of the bolts in position t'o'engage the'cover 54 when the cover is applied to'theunit. Nuts are then used for preventingdisengagement of' the brackets 12' from the bolts 10. The-adjustment screws 85 are turned in the appropriate direction so as to give the unit the 'desired'position relative to the window opening.

To remove-the unit, it ismerely necessary to re-" move the brackets 14 and then to disengage the brackets 12 from the bolts 18." To' remove the mounting means it is merely necessary to'disen gage-the screws and 82, whereupon" the stanchions 52 and the upperand lower cross members 66 and 68 can be bodilyiremoved from the window. 'It will-be notedthat, except for the engagement of the screws and 82 with the lower and upper window'sills, respectively, the'wood work of the'windowframe not in any way marred or damaged; It will also be noted that the engagementof the wall of the bracket 18 along a-relativelylarge area'of the upper sill strip 8| provides sufllcient bearing surface over which the strain caused by turning moment of the unit is distributedsothat the strain exerted on the strip 8 8|. per unit area, is substantially reduced. This makes use of relatively light metal parts and en: ables" the usual upper'sill strip 8| to resist the turning moment of the unit without the ed 61 special reinforcement. 1

As may*'be"more clearly seen "from diagrammatic' Fig. 8, the horizontal forces applied to the window frame and the consequent strains or the latter are greatly'reduced by the mounting means of the invention. The structure involves two sep.- arate sets of horizontal forces; first, the horizontal forces exerted by the unit on the stanchions force K being equal to This may also be"expressed' as K W tan it, since is the tangent of the angle a. The gravity force also applies a clockwise moment WD about the axis B, producing ahorizontal-force-L to the left at A,- theforce'L-alsobeing equal to e I2 Y we), Q These forces are imposed on the cross arms 66 and 68-and onthe stanchions, but they are not imposed on the window frame. Considering now .the horizontal forces imposed on the window -frame, the clockwise moment WD- aboutF produces a horizontal force M to the right atG, theforceMbeingequalto.-

(ii- V5 tan b, and the same moment about G. produces a horizontal force N tothe left. at, F, which is alsqequal to a orWtan b.

Since the moment arm'I-l is great in relation to the moment arm D, the'horizontal forces imposed on the window structure by the tilting moment horizontal forces are reduced as the center of gravity is moved toward the window to reduce the armD- .V... I.

Weqtherp moflng means invention further includes means for ef-' fectively weatherproofing the portion of the window opening in-which the unit is mounted. Preferably, the weatherproofingmeans is completely detachable from the unit and from the mounting means so that it may be easily applied to, or removed from, the window without in any Way disturbing the installation of the air conditioning unit itself. i

As best shown in Figs. '3 and 7, the weatherproofing means includes an upper cross member 81 which is as long; as-the unit. The upper cross member 81 is secured in position by means of one or more brackets 88, the lower ends of which are secured to the lower wall of the upper cross members by bolts 89. The upper ends of the brackets 88 are secured by the screws 82 which fasten the top wall -83 of the bracket-'18 to the upper sill of the window. The-upper cross member 81 is also provided with an inner upturned wall to which is detachably secured ahighly compressible gasket 9| which extends along the entire lengthof the cross member and which abuts the upper-outer wall of the unit casing.

.The upper edge of theupper cross member 81' The weatherprooflng means also includes a lower cross member 93 for effecting a seal with the upper edge of the outer window sash I6, and a frame formed of a horizontal member 94 which supports the lower cross member 93, and side members 95 adapted to seal the junction between the sides of the unit and the side jambs of the window.

The lower cross member 93 is preferably in the nature of a molded rubber strip adapted to engage the upper window sash and is preferably provided with a pendant flange 93a which overhangs the outer wall of the sash, as best seen in Fig. 7. The rubber strip 93 is connected by a somewhat reduced portion 93b to an enlarged marginal portion 930 which is enclosed in a casing 96 with or without a reinforcing member 91. The reduced portion 93b serves as a hinge between the body of the strip 93 and the enlarged marginal portion 930 so as to permit the strip 93 to move with reference to the portion 93c for a purpose hereinafter explained. The casing 96 -is preferably coextensive with the horizontal member 94 and is secured thereto in the desired manner, but the rubber strip 93 extends across the entire width of the window opening with its ends abutting the side jambs I4 of the window. The horizontal member 94 is securedin position "along the lower edge of the air conditioning unit bers constitute filler pieces for closing the spaces left between the sides of the unit and the side jambs of'the window. When in position, the vertical marginal portions of the filler pieces I94 enter the outer sash grooves 29 while the upper marginal portions of the filler pieces, which are flush with the upper edge of the upper sealing cross member 81, enter the groove formed in the underside of the upper window sill and abut the vertical wall of the strip 92. The inner flanges lar to the gasket 9I and which abut the vertical 7 sides of the .unit as shown in Fig. 5. In order to seal the junction of the ends of the upper cross member 81 with the adjacent portions of the side members 95, the upper cross member is provided with end walls I98 and inner flanges I99 whichabut the end walls I95 and flanges I96 of the side members 95, as shown at the top of Fig. 'I. .As shown in Fig. 4, the junction of the end of the unit with the adjacent portion of the horicludes means for sealing the junction between the filler pieces I94 and the side jambs of the window. In the form illustrated. I use corner pieces I I4, each of which. as best shown in Fig. 6, is formed of a rubber pad II5 clamped between two metal plates II6 by one or more, bolts II8, the plates being dished as at,I29.

Each pad I I6 isprovided with a marginal we portion I22 adapted to abut the adjacent portion of the adjacent side jamb I4 oi the window, a d an inner portion I24 adapted to abut the a 'acent filler piece I94. The inner portion I24 is preferably wedge-shaped and is connected to the body of the pad by a relatively narrow hinge portion I26. The purpose of this structure and the manner of its operation will be hereinafter explained.

Each of the corner pieces is detachabiy secured in position by means of a clamp which has a U-shaped portion I29 adapted to engage the marginal portion of an adjacent flller piece, and a spring arm I39 which engages and clamps the wedge-shaped portion I24 of the pad against the adjacent portion of the filler piece.

In order to effect a tight seal between the outer portion I22 of the pad and the adjacent side jamb of the window, one or more pivoted spring latches I32 may be employed. The latches I32 are preferably carried by the bolts H9 and are rotatable to the position shown in Fig. 6, in which the free end of the latch bears against the filler piece and thus exerts a force which presses the portion I22 against the adjacent side jamb of the window.

To remove the corner pieces, it is merely necessary to disengage the latches I32" from the filler pieces and to disengage the wedge-shaped portion I24 from the respective clamps I29.

The corner pieces described are of such a length that, when in position, their upper ends abut the underside of the top window sill and their lower ends rest on the upper side of the lower sealing strip 93.

Assembly of weatherprooflng means When it is desired to mount the air conditioning unit in position, the filler pieces I94 are cut down so that when the side members 95 are moved to their vertical position, the filler pieces will completely close the space between the side walls of the unit and the sash grooves. The

rubber strip 93 is then cut to size, so that its ends abut the side jambs of the window and the enlarged portion thereof is then inserted into the casing 96. The U-shaped clamps I28 are then Y 'appliedto the marginal portions of the filler I96 are provided with gaskets I91 which are simi- 1. above set forth, the upper cross member 61 is. 1

secured in position and the'lower cross member ii f 94 with the side members 95 normal thereto is -.-.pieces I94. the wedge-shaped portion I24 of the marginal portions of the pads II5 being clamped by the spring arms I39. The weatherprooflng structure is now tailoredto flt. the window and, after the unit has been mounted in position as .then secured in position by'engagement of the slots 98 with the prongs I99. When this is done,

, the flanges I96 of the side members abut the flanges I99 of the upper cross member, as shown in-Fig. 7. The corner pieces I I4 are then pushed against the respective side jambsand the latches "I32 are turned so as to abut against the filler pieces I94, as shown in Fig. 6.

With the unit and the weatherproofing structure thus completely assembled, the outer window sash is raised until the upper edge portion forms a seal with the strip 93 and its flanges 93a and the inner window sash is lowered to close the remaining portion of the window opening.

When it is desired to raise the outer window sash for the purpose oi. window washing, or inorder to close the upper portion of the window opening, it is merely necessary to rotate the 9.' filler pieces I04, in which position they are disposed in the dished portions 1200f the clamping plates H6. The corner pieces may now be rotated about their hinge portions 126 until they abut or lie flat against the adjacent corner pieces,

' in which position they will be disposed inwardly of the outer sash groove. Likewise, the strip 93 I being. hinged to the enlarged portion 930 by the reduced portion 93b can now move downwardly so as to assume a position normal to the horizontal plane of the cross member 94. In this position, the strip 93 is also disposed inwardly of the outer sash groove. By this means, the outer window sash can be raised all the way up to (the upper window sill without the necessity of removing any part of the weatherproofing structure and without in any way disturbing the mounting means of the unit itself.

' When it is desired to remove the weatherprooflng structure altogether, it is merely necessary to disengage the latches I32 and to disengage the slots 98 from the prongs I00, whereupon -the lower cross member 94, the side members 95 and the corner pieces H4 can be removed as a unit. The upper cross member 87 can then be removed by merely disengaging the screws 89.

. While I have shown my invention in but one form, it will be obvious to those skilled in the 'iart that it is not so limited but is susceptible of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit thereof.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with a room air conditioning unit, of means for mounting the same in a window, said means comprising vertical elongated members separate from the window, resting on the bottom of the window and extending upwardly to a point adjacent the top of the window, means for mounting said unit on said vertical members adjacent the upper ends thereof with the unit disposed primarily on the room side of the vertical members, said means including parts which transmit forces directed inwardly of the room from the unit to the vertical members at points adjacent the "upper ends of the latter and parts which transmit forces directed outwardly of the room from the unit to the vertical members at points spaced downwardly from the first-mentioned points but spaced above the lower ends of the vertical members, whereby the tuming moment imposed on said unit by the force of gravity is transmitted tothe vertical members, and means providing engagement between the lower ends of said members and the bottom of the window and between the upper ends of said members and the top'of the window for resisting the turning moment imposed on the vertical members by the unit, 'whereby the horizontal forces imposed on the window are substantially less than the horizontal forces imposed by the unit itself.

2. In combination, a room air conditioning unit adapted to be mounted. in a window opening defined by a top sill, a lower sill and side jambs, vertically elongated members resting on said bottom sill and extending towards said upper sill, means securing said unit to the upper ends of said members for supporting the weight of the unit, and means engaging said upper sill and the adjacent portion of said unit for resisting the turning moment of said unit in the direction of the room, said unit being formed in the shape of an L with the horizontal limb of theL disposed in the uppermost portion of the window opening and with the vertical limb of the L extending upwardly whereby the center of gravity of the unit is i brought closer to the vertical plane of the elongated members and the turning moment of the unit is reduced.

3. In combination, a room air conditioning unit adapted to be mounted in a window opening defined by a top sill, a lower sill and side jambs, vertically elongated members resting on said bottom sill and extending towards said upper sill, means securing said unit to the upper ends of said members for supporting the weight of the unit, and means engaging said upper sill andthe adjacent portionof said unit for resisting the turning moment of said unit in the direction of the room, said first-mentioned means including a cross member carried by the upper portions of the elongated members, and said second means including a bracket secured to the top sill of the window, to said cross member, and to said unit.

4. Means for mounting a room air conditioning unit in the upper portion of a window opening defined by a bottom sill, a top sill and side jambs, there being inner and outer grooves provided in said jambs and inner and outer sashes movable in said grooves, said means including upright members adapted to rest on and extending upwardly from the bottom sill and disposed along said side jambs, an upper cross member carried by the upper portions of said upright members, means secured to said unit and engaging the top sill of the window, and means for securing the last-mentioned means to said cross member, said vertical and cross members being disposed entirely outside of the planes defined by said grooves.

5. The structure recited in claim 4 together with a lower cross bar also carried by said upright members forming an abutment for the lower portion of the unit.

6. The structure recited in claim 4 together with means for effecting a seal between the unit and the surrounding portions of the window frame, and between the unit and the upper edge of said outer window sash, said means including a lower horizontal member adapted to be detachably secured to the adjacent, portion of the unit, a gasket member carried by said horizontal member and adapted to engage the upper edge of said outer sash, vertical members hinged to said horizontal member and adapted to close the spaces left between the vertical sides of the unit and the side jambs of the window frame, and an upper horizontal member detachably secured to said upper cross member for sealing the junction of said top sill with the adjacent portion of the unit.

7. In combination, a room air conditioning unit adapted to be mounted in a window opening defined by a top sill, a lower sill and side jambs formed with inner and outer sash grooves, vertically elongated members separate from the window, resting on saidbottom sill and extending towards said upper sill, means securing said unit to the upper ends of said members for supporting the weight of the unit, means engaging said upper sill and the adjacent portion of said unit for resisting the turning moment of said unit in the direction of the room, means for sealing the spaces between the sides of the unit and the side jambs of the window, and means for sealing the apropos ing a hingedly connected movable portion which Number engages the top of said outer window sash in seal- 698,762 ing position and which is movable toward the '1,665,991 room side of the plane of the outer sash grooves 1,698,328 to permit the outer window sash to be raised to 5 1,706,852 its uppermost position. 1,854,569 ARTHUR H. T; 2,011,419 2,029,610 REFERENCES crnzn 2,081,106 The following references are of record in the 10 2394684 file of this patent: 1 4

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 12 Name Date Tove Apr. 29, 1902 Stramalgia Apr. 10, 1928 Dume Jan. 8, 1929 Kramer Mar. 26, 1929 Welch Apr. 19, 1932 Ross Aug. 13, 1935 Campbell et a1. Feb. 4, 1936 Kilb May 16, 1937 Hubbard Sept. 1, 1942 Williams Apr. 13, 1943 

